Diamondbacks, Montero Avoid Arbitration

The Diamondbacks announced that they avoided arbitration with catcher Miguel Montero(Twitter link). The sides agreed to terms on a one-year, $5.9MM deal minutes before this morning's scheduled hearing, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert tweets.

As MLBTR's Arbitration Tracker shows, Montero and his representatives at Octagon had asked for $6.8MM, while the Diamondbacks had countered with a $5.4MM offer. The Diamondbacks now have two unsigned arbitration eligible players: Ryan Roberts and Craig Breslow.

Montero, who earned $3.2MM in 2011, is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility. He posted a .282/.351/.469 line with 18 home runs in 553 plate appearances last year, when he made his first All-Star team. He'll join Yadier Molina, Mike Napoli and Russell Martin on next year's free agent market, assuming he doesn't sign an extension first.